1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a folding-type mobile terminal and, more particularly, to a folding-type mobile terminal, such as a cellular phone, that is folded when carried (when standing by, when not in communication), and is opened when used to make a phone call or to communicate.
Cellular phones are categorized, in terms of structure, a folding-type cellular phone having a structure capable of being folded, and a so-called stick-type cellular phone having a structure not capable of being folded. The folding-type cellular phone needs to have a mechanical strength so as not to be deformed when handled without care as does the stick-type cellular phone. The folding-type cellular phone is also required to have a less weight.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional folding-type cellular phone (or a portable phone) 10 when disassembled, the cellular phone being devised to have an increased mechanical strength. FIG. 2A is an illustration of the conventional folding-type cellular phone 10 shown in FIG. 1 when used to make a phone call. FIG. 2B is an illustration of the conventional folding-type cellular phone 10 shown in FIG. 1 when being carried. The folding-type cellular phone 10 has an operation-key part 11 held by a user""s hand 60 shown in FIG. 2A, a liquid-crystal part 12 to be opened and closed, and a hinge 13 coupling the operation-key part 11 and the liquid-crystal part 12. The operation-key part 11 has: a board unit 20 and a housing 21 combined together; and a printed-board module 22 incorporated inside the combined board unit 20 and the housing 21. The liquid-crystal part 12 has: a board unit 30 and a housing 31 combined together; and a printed-board module 32 incorporated inside the combined board unit 30 and the housing 31. A battery pack 40 is attached to the undersurface of the housing 21. The housing 21 has a deep recess 21a in the vicinity of the hinge 13. The folding-type cellular phone 10 is folded when carried, as shown in FIG. 2B, and is opened by the liquid-crystal part 12 being revolved when used to make a phone call or to communicate, as shown in FIG. 2A.
The housings 21 and 31 are molded components made of a synthetic resin. The board units 20 and 30 are painted die-cast components made of magnesium. The hinge 13 is composed of a circular-arc portion 20a protruding from an edge of the board unit 20, and a circular-arc portion 30a protruding from an edge of the board unit 30. The hinge 13 is also made of magnesium.
The folding-type cellular phone 10 has an increased mechanical strength by having the hinge 13 and the board units 20 and 30 made of magnesium. Magnesium is selected from among various metals because magnesium has a little weight.
Additionally, the folding-type cellular phone 10 has a built-in antenna 50. The built-in antenna 50 is located so as to be contained in the deep recess 21a of the housing 21 inside the operation-key part 11.
When the folding-type cellular phone 10 is opened as shown in FIG. 2A, the board units 20 and 30 form the front of the folding-type cellular phone 10. Therefore, stress is put upon the appearance in regard to the board units 20 and 30. For this reason, each of the board units 20 and 30 is completed as a final product by the following steps: retrieving a previous form of the board unit 20 or 30 from a metal die; taking out a gate; removing burrs; polishing the previous form when necessary; and painting the previous form.
Generally, a die-cast component made of magnesium tends to not only have more burrs, but also have a rough surface containing fine blowholes, compared with a die-cast component made of other metals. Therefore, before the step of painting, finishing steps, such as removing burrs and polishing, are required to be conducted. At this point, since the board units 20 and 30 form the front of the folding-type cellular phone 10, the board units 20 and 30 have large areas requiring the finishing steps. This inevitably increases the amount of work in the finishing steps.
Additionally, if the finishing steps are not adequately conducted, part of the painted surface becomes rough, and thus the board units 20 and 30 have poor appearances.
Further, in some cases, the board units 20 and 30 have smooth surfaces just after the painting step. However, in a heating step to strengthen the painted layer after the painting step, fine blowholes present in the surfaces of the board units 20 and 30 are inflated so that the board units 20 and 30 have inferior appearances with swellings in the painted layers thereof.
As described above, the board units 20 and 30 do not provide a good yield, and thus the conventional folding-type cellular phone 10 cannot be manufactured efficiently.
In addition, the conventional folding-type cellular phone 10 does not have a good property regarding the built-in antenna 50. Arranging metal boards so as to cover the built-in antenna 50 makes it difficult for the built-in antenna 50 to transmit electric waves, deteriorating the property of the built-in antenna 50. To prevent this, the built-in antenna 50 is placed in the deep recess 21a of the housing 21 so as to be kept as far as possible from the board units 20 and 30 made of magnesium. However, since the folding-type cellular phone 10 is thinned down so as to have a reduced thickness, it is difficult to sufficiently keep the built-in antenna 50 away from the board units 20 and 30 made of magnesium. Additionally, since the housing 21 composes the operation-key part 11, the deep recess 21a of the housing 21 is covered by the user""s hand 60, as shown in FIG. 2A, when used to make a phone call. In this state, the user""s hand 60 deteriorates the property of the built-in antenna 50.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and useful folding-type mobile terminal in which device the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a folding-type mobile terminal which can have an increased mechanical strength and can be manufactured with an increased efficiency.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is provided according to one aspect of the present invention a folding-type mobile terminal comprising:
a first body having a first printed-board module inside thereof and having an input unit on a surface of the first body;
a second body having a second printed-board module inside thereof and having a display unit on a surface of the second body;
a hinge coupling the first body and the second body so that the folding-type mobile terminal is capable of being folded, the hinge being made of a metal;
a first metal chassis incorporated into the first body, the first metal chassis extending from the hinge; and
a second metal chassis incorporated into the second body, the second metal chassis extending from the hinge,
wherein the first body has the first printed-board module fixed to the first metal chassis, a first upper case-member fixed to the first metal chassis, and a first lower case-member fixed to the first metal chassis so that the first upper case-member and the first lower case-member together cover the first metal chassis, the first upper case-member and the first lower case-member being made of a synthetic resin, and
the second body has the second printed-board module fixed to the second metal chassis, a second upper case-member fixed to the second metal chassis, and a second lower case-member fixed to the second metal chassis so that the second upper case-member and the second lower case-member together cover the second metal chassis, the second upper case-member and the second lower case-member being made of a synthetic resin.
According to the present invention, the metal hinge and the first and second bodies having the metal chassis as frames together contribute to enhancing a mechanical strength of the folding-type mobile terminal. Additionally, the case-members made of a synthetic resin cover the metal chassis so as not to expose the metal chassis on the surface of the bodies. Therefore, in manufacturing the metal chassis, the metal chassis do not require intricate finishing steps.
Additionally, in the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention, the first metal chassis may have a first shield board unit covering the first printed-board module, and the second metal chassis may have a second shield board unit covering the second printed-board module.
According to the present invention, since the shield boards are formed as unitary parts of the metal chassis, shield boards as independent components are not necessary.
Additionally, the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention may further comprise an interior antenna, wherein the first metal chassis has a length smaller than the first printed-board module, and the second metal chassis has a length smaller than the second printed-board module so that the interior antenna is provided outside the second metal chassis in the second body.
According to the present invention, since the interior antenna is provided outside the second metal chassis in the second body, the interior antenna is not likely to be influenced by the second metal chassis. Also, when the folding-type mobile terminal is folded, the interior antenna is not likely to be influenced by the first metal chassis either. Therefore, the interior antenna has a good property.
Additionally, the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention may further comprise an interior antenna, wherein the second metal chassis has a length smaller than the second printed-board module so that the interior antenna is provided outside the second metal chassis in the second body.
According to the present invention, since the interior antenna is provided outside the second metal chassis in the second body, the interior antenna is not likely to be influenced by the second metal chassis. Therefore, the interior antenna has a good property.
Additionally, in the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention, at least one of the first metal chassis and the second metal chassis may have a rib exposed on a side of one of the first body and the second body.
According to the present invention, when a user holds the folding-type mobile terminal by hand, the user""s hand contacts the rib first. Thereby, when the user""s body assumes a static electricity, the static electricity is discharged to ground patterns of the printed-board modules via the metal chassis. This prevents a current of the static electricity from flowing through an electronic circuit of the printed-board modules, and thus protects the electronic circuit of the printed-board modules.
Additionally, in the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention, the first metal chassis may have a length supporting an end portion of the first printed-board module, and the second metal chassis may have a length supporting an end portion of the second printed-board module.
According to the present invention, the first and second metal chassis are short, and thus can be manufactured at a low cost. The short first and second metal chassis also reduce a weight of the folding-type mobile terminal.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is also provided according to another aspect of the present invention a folding-type mobile terminal comprising:
a first metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a second metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a hinge unit coupling the first metal member and the second metal member so that the first metal member and the second metal member are capable of being rotated relative to each other with the hinge unit as an axis, the hinge unit being formed by a first edge portion of the first metal member, a second edge portion of the second metal member and an axle passed through a space in the first edge portion and a space in the second edge portion; and
resin members provided on both surfaces of the first metal member and the second metal member so as to cover the first metal member and the second metal member except the first edge portion and the second edge portion.
According to the present invention, parts of the first metal member and the second metal member covered with the resin members do not require finishing steps for surfaces.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is also provided according to another aspect of the present invention a folding-type mobile terminal comprising:
a first metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a second metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a hinge unit coupling the first metal member and the second metal member so that the first metal member and the second metal member are capable of being rotated relative to each other with the hinge unit as an axis, the hinge unit being formed by a first edge portion of the first metal member, a second edge portion of the second metal member and an axle passed through a space in the first edge portion and a space in the second edge portion;
first synthetic resin members provided on both surfaces of the first metal member so as to cover the first metal member; and
second synthetic resin members provided on both surfaces of the second metal member so as to cover the second metal member,
wherein the first synthetic resin members include a cover portion partially covering a part of the hinge unit formed by the first edge portion, and the second synthetic resin members include a cover portion partially covering a part of the hinge unit formed by the second edge portion.
According to the present invention, the first and second metal members including parts of the metal hinge unit are not exposed to the surface of the folding-type mobile terminal, and thus do not substantially require finishing steps for appearances.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is also provided according to another aspect of the present invention a folding-type mobile terminal comprising:
a first metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a second metal member having components providing functions of a mobile terminal fixed thereto;
a hinge unit coupling the first metal member and the second metal member so that the first metal member and the second metal member are capable of being rotated relative to each other with the hinge unit as an axis, the hinge unit being formed by a first edge portion of the first metal member, a second edge portion of the second metal member and an axle passed through a space in the first edge portion and a space in the second edge portion;
first synthetic resin members provided on both surfaces of the first metal member so as to cover the first metal member; and
second synthetic resin members provided on both surfaces of the second metal member so as to cover the second metal member,
wherein the first synthetic resin members include a cover portion wholly covering a part of the hinge unit formed by the first edge portion, and the second synthetic resin members include a cover portion wholly covering a part of the hinge unit formed by the second edge portion.
According to the present invention, the first and second metal members including the whole metal hinge unit are not exposed to the surface of the folding-type mobile terminal, and thus do not substantially require finishing steps for appearances.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is also provided according to another aspect of the present invention a folding-type mobile terminal comprising:
a first body having a first printed-board module inside thereof and having an input unit on a surface of the first body;
a second body having a second printed-board module inside thereof and having a display unit on a surface of the second body;
a hinge coupling the first body and the second body so that the folding-type mobile terminal is capable of being folded, the hinge being made of a metal;
a first metal chassis incorporated into the first body, the first metal chassis extending from the hinge; and
a second metal chassis incorporated into the second body, the second metal chassis extending from the hinge,
wherein, the first body has the first printed-board module fixed to the first metal chassis, a first upper case-member fixed to the first metal chassis, and a first lower case-member fixed to the first metal chassis so that the first upper case-member and the first lower case-member together cover the whole of the first metal chassis and a part of the hinge, the first upper case-member and the first lower case-member being made of a synthetic resin, the first upper case-member having a first upper chassis-cover portion and a first upper hinge-cover portion extending from the first upper chassis-cover portion, and the first lower case-member having a first lower chassis-cover portion and a first lower hinge-cover portion extending from the first lower chassis-cover portion so that the first upper chassis-cover portion and the first lower chassis-cover portion together cover the whole of the first metal chassis, and the first upper hinge-cover portion and the first lower hinge-cover portion together cover the part of the hinge, and
the second body has the second printed-board module fixed to the second metal chassis, a second upper case-member fixed to the second metal chassis, and a second lower case-member fixed to the second metal chassis so that the second upper case-member and the second lower case-member together cover the whole of the second metal chassis and the other part of the hinge, the second upper case-member and the second lower case-member being made of a synthetic resin, the second upper case-member having a second upper chassis-cover portion and a second upper hinge-cover portion extending from the second upper chassis-cover portion, and the second lower case-member having a second lower chassis-cover portion and a second lower hinge-cover portion extending from the second lower chassis-cover portion so that the second upper chassis-cover portion and the second lower chassis-cover portion together cover the whole of the second metal chassis, and the second upper hinge-cover portion and the second lower hinge-cover portion together cover the other part of the hinge.
According to the present invention, the first and second metal chassis and the metal hinge are not exposed to the surface of the first and second bodies, and thus do not substantially require finishing steps for appearances.
Additionally, in the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention, a second edge portion of the second lower chassis-cover portion near to the second lower hinge-cover portion may adjoin a first edge portion of the first lower chassis-cover portion near to the first lower hinge-cover portion when the first body and the second body are opened to positions for making a communication, and
at least one of the first edge portion and the second edge portion may be formed as a wall undergoing an elastic deformation from an original shape thereof when being pushed so that, when a pushing force acts on the first body and the second body so as to open the first body and the second body further, the first body and the second body are opened further by the wall undergoing an elastic deformation, and when the pushing force is removed, the first body and the second body are returned to the positions for making a communication by the wall returning to the original shape.
According to the present invention, the hinge does not need to incorporate a spring that deforms when the first body and the second body are opened further beyond the positions for making a communication. Therefore, the hinge can have a simple structure and a small diameter.
Additionally, the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention may further comprise a spring member incorporated inside of the wall.
According to the present invention, the spring member helps the elastically deformed wall return to the original shape.
Additionally, in the folding-type mobile terminal according to the present invention, the first upper hinge-cover portion may have an upper sidewall covering a part of a side-end surface of the hinge, and the first lower hinge-cover portion may have a lower sidewall covering the other part of the side-end surface of the hinge so that the upper sidewall and the lower sidewall cover the side-end surface of the hinge.
According to the present invention, a cover exclusively used for covering a side-end surface of a hinge becomes unnecessary.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.